How to Block Someone: Phone, E-Mail and Social Media

Whether you've just ended a toxic relationship, or have had just about enough of an annoying acquaintance, there are times when it is necessary to cut ties with someone completely. Unfortunately, the plethora of Web services that we're tied to makes it difficult to have a clean break.

Blocking someone from major social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram just isn't enough - you might forget professional networks such as LinkedIn, email and texting services. You'll also want to prevent them from calling you, and even avoid them in real life. Follow these guides to make sure you've blocked someone from every facet of your digital (and even real) life.

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It's hard to imagine life without sharing every little detail to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and stalkers will no doubt feast on every little nugget of information you share. Make sure to block your frenemy from Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn as well, so they won't see where you work or post snarky comments on your videos. And if you're one of those who fangirls who vents on Tumblr, make sure you hide it too.

Block Calls

All three major smartphone operating systems offer tools to block specific numbers from calling you. On Windows Phone, blocking someone from calling also prevents them from SMS messaging you. Don't forget video calling services such as Skype.

In Real Life

More and more people are checking in at places they visit and tagging the locations of their photos, and an iOS app called Cloak uses that information into your advantage. It helps you triangulate the positions of your contacts by pulling their geo-tag information from Foursquare or Instagram and alerts you when someone you've flagged is within a specified distance from you.

In addition to avoiding your ex, you'll also want to make sure he or she can't see where you are and wait there for you, so remember to fix your settings on Foursquare.

Chat or Instant Message

Thanks to our phones, we're always accessible via instant messaging or chat services such as WhatsApp or Google Hangouts. Worse, some of these services even let your contacts see when you were last online or if you've seen their messaging, making it clear you've ignored them. Instead of causing an angsty discussion on why you were reluctant to respond, simply block a person from all your chat services for peace of mind.

Email

Avoid receiving lengthy "Let's make up" or endless self-promotion emails by blocking contacts from sending you messages.

How to Block Someone

Cherlynn joined the Laptopmag team in June 2013 and has since been writing about all things tech and digital with a focus on mobile and Internet software development. She also edits and reports occasionally on video. She graduated with a M.S. in Journalism (Broadcast) from Columbia University in May 2013 and has been designing personal websites since 2001.